Mega find: 9-year-old girl discovers prehistoric megalodon tooth in Maryland – National | 24CA News
This yr, it wasn’t Santa Claus who introduced nine-year-old Molly Sampson the most effective Christmas present — it was Molly herself.
On Christmas Day, Molly excitedly donned her brand-new insulated waders to “go sharkstooth hunting like professionals,” Molly’s mom Alicia Sampson wrote on Facebook.
Molly, accompanied by her father Bruce and older sister Natalie, left their dwelling in Prince Frederick, Md. to hunt for treasures in a bay close to Calvert Cliffs, as per Fox News.
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(Left to proper) Molly, Natalie and Bruce Smith of their insulated waders on Christmas Day.
Facebook / Alicia Bruce Sampson
By 10 a.m., Molly made a discovery most fossil hunters solely dream of: a five-inch-long megalodon tooth.
The tooth was present in knee-deep waters, so due to her new waders, Molly was in a position to retrieve the uncommon discover.
The household shared the news of Molly’s prehistoric fossil on Facebook, writing that they had been “pretty sure Molly is feeling like this is the best Christmas ever.”
Bruce informed Fox News that he was “shocked” by his daughter’s “once-in-a-lifetime find.”
For Molly, who has collected over 400 fossils in her lifetime, this wasn’t her first megalodon tooth, however it’s her largest. Her earlier discoveries — a formidable hoard — have solely been one or two inches lengthy.
Molly and her household took the fossil to the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons, Md., to see what extra they might study concerning the megalodon tooth. There, paleontology curator Stephen J. Godfrey stated the tooth is probably going 15 million years outdated.
Godfrey informed Molly that the shark that her megalodon tooth belonged to was in all probability a “young teenager” between 13 and 15 metres lengthy.
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The since extinct megalodon shark is taken into account to be the largest shark that ever lived. The greatest specimen ever recorded measured 17.9 metres lengthy. It is believed that local weather change within the Miocene, the primary geological epoch of the Neogene Period, induced the animal’s extinction.
On social media, Molly and her household proceed to share their fossil finds. By sharing discoveries, they hope to “inspire kids of all ages to get outside and explore.”
Molly stated she desires to develop up and develop into a paleontologist who collects and analyzes fossils. Obviously.
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